There is a clear connection between what you think about yourself and reaching your highest calling.

Let’s look at three key ways to harness your thoughts to bring dynamic change resulting in a powerful destiny and a better life.

First, we need to unpack the biggest destiny-derailer: Negative thoughts.

You are not your negative thought

Here is what I mean. Negative forces want you to believe bad things about yourself like: “I’m depressed. I’m worthless. I can’t change. I’m stupid. I’m ugly. I’m such a failure…” the list could go on and on.

It is important to realize that your thoughts, feelings and behaviors are situational and you can change them. The reality is that feelings and behaviors are not who you really are. You may struggle with your thoughts, but that is not your identity in Christ. Most people don’t see that there is a direct connection between the way they view themselves and their destiny.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7a NKJV.

Many of the thoughts and behaviors we battle daily have a root cause: something we have done, knowingly or unknowingly, or things that were done to us. Healing these emotional wounds can be a process. If you commit yourself to the journey, you can overcome them. It is part of your destiny to find healing and live healed.

Keys to powerful positive thoughts and destiny:

1. Diffuse the power of negative thoughts by inviting God in
My life turned around for the good when I realized that I spent too much time beating myself up for having negative or lustful thoughts. I remember the day that I invited God to walk with me like a loving father would. I prayed and asked for an extra measure of grace to get me through each day. Surprisingly, when I stopped focusing on the negative thoughts and talked to God about them as they were happening, they began to lose their power over me and eventually became less of a driving force in my thought life.

2. Don’t beat yourself up
Another key to recovery is not beating yourself up. When you invite God each moment into your imperfection, he is not surprised by your thoughts or behavior. God loves you just the same. Be gentle with yourself while you change. Learn to enjoy your life even though you are not yet perfected. Progress toward your destiny is what you want.

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” 1 John 4:4 NIV.

3. Don’t live in the recovery room
We live in a therapeutic society with a diagnosis for just about everything. When you start worrying about your dog suffering from Separation Anxiety Disorder, you know there is an over-focus on labeling people and situations. There is value in recognizing negative patterns. I am not trying to downplay the effects of pain, addiction and abuse.

But we need to find a way to identify the negative pattern, get healed and leave the recovery room so your identity is in the new life God has given you, not the old life that tried to destroy you.

These keys will help you take daily steps straight to your destiny. Believe it!

Doug Addison is a prominent conference speaker captivating audiences with clean stand-up comedy and high energy prophetic messages which he has shared on television, radio and the internet for over a decade. Doug brings laughter, fun and a unique prophetic style while empowering people to transform their lives, discover their destiny and understand dreams, tattoos and piercings. His powerful messages stay with his audiences long after hearing him.